T20s vs Oxbridge

[Anonymous]

(New poster in this thread.)

Any thoughts with respect to an admissions boost to US graduate programs & professional schools (law & MBA for example) for those who have earned their undergraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge ?

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(New poster in this thread.)

Any thoughts with respect to an admissions boost to US graduate programs & professional schools (law & MBA for example) for those who have earned their undergraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge ?

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

I don't know about Oxford but Cambridge only has about 30 US undergraduate students in each intake year (they measure intake rather than graduation because different courses take different # of years to graduate). The N is so small that any "admissions boost" would be anecdotal in nature.

Fun with data:
https://www.internationalstudents.cam.ac.uk/applying/global-community/international-student-data

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(New poster in this thread.)

Any thoughts with respect to an admissions boost to US graduate programs & professional schools (law & MBA for example) for those who have earned their undergraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge ?

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

Quite a few of their masters programs are well known and reputable however, especially as a buffer before applying for PhD programs, such as their tripos part iii

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(New poster in this thread.)

Any thoughts with respect to an admissions boost to US graduate programs & professional schools (law & MBA for example) for those who have earned their undergraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge ?

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

Quite a few of their masters programs are well known and reputable however, especially as a buffer before applying for PhD programs, such as their tripos part iii

Buffer? Try actual requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the main differences between US T20s (Ivies, Stanford, etc) and Oxbridge? DS is considering Oxford because of the more specialized program but we really don't know much about it.

What is the application process for US applicants? Is Oxford well renowned in the US (like, will that give DS a boost when applying for jobs)? Do AOs at Oxford care much about ECs, LORs, essays, etc?

By the way, DS is going into STEM, if that's relevant.

https://youtu.be/e7t1zlMlV7s?si=yexusdxlaAQanzdq TL;DW your extracurriculars need to be relevant to your field of study - self-studying topics,awards, research etc count, nonprofits and most schools clubs do not

You'll also need to complete specialized admissions tests: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests

Here's an example of an interview sample: https://youtu.be/mEKBs6taixw?si=5LLjh6RFi4UEPrbg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oxbridge is easily T15 equivalent in the US.

More like 15-25. But easier to get in than 15-25.

Academic rigor is great. But the same is true at Reed…

Cambridge and Oxford 15-25 equivalent? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 Cambridge is fairly universally accepted in academic circles as the nr 1 university in the world. Oxford not far behind.

Too funny.

The only field I would definitively place Cambridge undergrad at #1 is in pure mathematics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oxbridge is easily T15 equivalent in the US.

More like 15-25. But easier to get in than 15-25.

Academic rigor is great. But the same is true at Reed…

Cambridge and Oxford 15-25 equivalent? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 Cambridge is fairly universally accepted in academic circles as the nr 1 university in the world. Oxford not far behind.

Too funny.

Are you saying that it is "universally accepted in academic circles" that Cambridge is better than Harvard and/or MIT?

Small sample but I personally know a couple of kids at both Oxford and Cambridge. We lived in the UK and we knew the kids from DC's school, they spent time in our house, vaca'ed with us. They were bright students who worked hard. But they were NOT genius or spectacular by any means. Pound for pound the kids at Oxford and Cambridge are more like our 15-25, not HYPSM.
Same for LSE btw.
Don't believe the global rankings hype.

Which course? An Economics & Management Oxford student is going to be much stronger than an Oxford classics student. Unlike HYPSM, UK universities generally do not allow transfers, so some programs are much more selective than others. (Think Cornell engineering vs hotel/agriculture)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(New poster in this thread.)

Any thoughts with respect to an admissions boost to US graduate programs & professional schools (law & MBA for example) for those who have earned their undergraduate degree at Oxford or Cambridge ?

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

UK universities tend to be stricter graders, so consider how US law schools will translate your GPA. You would probably gain a similar boost to T10, but you might have a harder time finding relevant extracurricular experiences for US Law in particular.

INSEAD is a great business school in any case - unlike US business schools, they give their professors a larger share of the consulting pie, leading to a healthy mix of super-highly accomplished professionals and academics rather than just the latter as is the case in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(New poster in this thread.)

(Note: Be aware that many masters degree programs at Cambridge are primarily cash cows for the university by the unaware who want a prestigious university on their CV/resume.)

This isn’t true at all. Masters at both Oxford and Cambridge have varying levels of selectivity, just like at the ivies, but they have high minimum criteria to be considered. Cambridge has its own Rhodes scholarship equivalent which is only for masters/phds and is very selective in its own right:

https://www.gatescambridge.org/

The reason why Oxbridge dominates world rankings is due to research output, which is not driven by undergrads.

[Anonymous]

Frankly I’d take Oxford or Cambridge over any of the 5-20 in the USNWR rankings, with a few major-specific exceptions.

Penn
CalTech
Duke
Brown
JHU
Northwestern
Columbia
Cornell
Chicago
Berkely
UCLA
Rice
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame

[Anonymous]

Never heard of Oxbridge University. Sounds like a scam degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of Oxbridge University. Sounds like a scam degree.

Oxbridge is just a nickname for the UK's two best universities: Oxford and Cambridge. Sometimes it's better not to speak when ignorant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the main differences between US T20s (Ivies, Stanford, etc) and Oxbridge? DS is considering Oxford because of the more specialized program but we really don't know much about it.

What is the application process for US applicants? Is Oxford well renowned in the US (like, will that give DS a boost when applying for jobs)? Do AOs at Oxford care much about ECs, LORs, essays, etc?

By the way, DS is going into STEM, if that's relevant.

Most U.S. students who are thinking about Oxbridge would be better off applying for Imperial or LSE. Much more straightforward application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the main differences between US T20s (Ivies, Stanford, etc) and Oxbridge? DS is considering Oxford because of the more specialized program but we really don't know much about it.

What is the application process for US applicants? Is Oxford well renowned in the US (like, will that give DS a boost when applying for jobs)? Do AOs at Oxford care much about ECs, LORs, essays, etc?

By the way, DS is going into STEM, if that's relevant.

Most U.S. students who are thinking about Oxbridge would be better off applying for Imperial or LSE. Much more straightforward application process.

My kid applied to Cambridge and Imperial and the process was basically the same. Only difference was Cambridge asked for a transcript and Imperial did not. Both applications were UCAS so not different. Accepted at both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of Oxbridge University. Sounds like a scam degree.

Oxbridge is just a nickname for the UK's two best universities: Oxford and Cambridge. Sometimes it's better not to speak when ignorant.

Please don't fall for this Oxbridge scam. Oxford is is Mississippi and Cambridge is in Massachusetts. There are tons of ads for universities like this on YouTube, preying on desperate parents. Stick to a good US University instead.